The Forbidden Tamer
by Yondaime-samaKazaraYume
Summary: Nothing in this worl is always fair. Some people have to find that out the hard way. When a Tamer is framed for a tragedy, how will he cope? OC? Rukato Jenri


_The world is never always fair, it doesn't matter where you are or who you are. You wanna hear my story? You really sure about that? You don't want to if you want to hear a nice, fluffy story that blooms into a full-blown romance. If you do then go listen to someone else's story, and leave me alone. _

… _You're still here, eh? Well, I guess I could tell you. It's your own life you're screwing up by hearing it. You wanna know why I'm called the Forbidden Tamer, huh? I'll tell you then, since you're so insistent. It's all to do with the Cherub Virus. Never heard of it, eh? Good, I hope it stays that way. It's a nasty virus in the West Quadrant of the Digital World. It infected Digimon and made them run amok, attacking humans and other Digimon indiscriminately. Was my partner infected? No, no, he's fine. Why's he like that then, you ask? I'll tell you, kid. I'll tell you._

* * *

**The Forbidden Tamer**

* * *

**Prologue: Oreta Tsubasa De (With Broken Wings)**

* * *

"Tsuyoya! Wake up!" Twelve-year-old Kikuchi Tsuyoya groaned from under his covers. He _really_ didn't want to get out of bed. He hid his head under his pillow in a futile attempt to silence the voice of his mother. Any second now… three… two… one… the pillow and covers were yanked from the bed.

"Noooooooo…" Tsuyoya whined pitifully. "I don' wanna…" His mother raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Your going on and on about how you were going to breeze through the entrance exams told a different story, young man, and I'm going with that one. Get out of bed right now, or I'll burn all your manga." Tsuyoya shot up in bed. _Man_, that was a low blow! He grumbled as he trudged into the bathroom.

One cold shower later, he pulled on his favorite shirt. It was white, and proclaimed in bold, black letters, "Future Tamer King." On second thought, he decided, that might not give the best first impressions. He pulled it off and went with a basic white one with a big Wormmon face. He was his favorite, after all. Looking in the mirror, he saw the same old face looking back at him. He ran a hand through his almost chin-length black hair , with one streak of gold near the front. Like usual, he pulled all the black hair back into a ponytail, leaving the streak of gold to hang free in front of his face. His eyes, a bright green, stared back at him from the mirror. She ran out of his room and slid down the stair banister, nearly knocking over his older sister.

"Watch it twerp!" she snarled. Tsuyoya merely stuck his tongue out at her before darting into the kitchen for breakfast. His older sister, Tenshi, thought she was all that because she had a Birdramon for a partner. He snuck up behind his mother, and almost made an elephant noise. Almost.

"Do it and you won't get any breakfast." Tsuyoya let the air out from his lungs flatly, trudging to the table. Tenshi sat at her place across from him.

"So Tsutsu-chan is entering the Tamer Academy, huh? Knowing you, you'll just bottom out." Tsuyoya glared at his sister.

"I can too be a Tamer! Just you wait! I'll show you all!" He loudly declared, standing up abruptly. He grabbed his winged baseball cap, shoved it roughly on top of his head, and started to slip on his sneakers.

"Where do you think you're going, Tsuyoya? You haven't eaten!" His mother scolded him. Tsuyoya spun around and glared at his sister.

"I'll eat somewhere else. I'd rather go hungry than eat at a table with that _stuck up little snob_!" Tsuyoya screamed the last part of the sentence, running out the door before his sister had a chance to reply. It wasn't fair, he kept telling himself. No matter what he did, he always screwed it up. Whether it was cooking, art, sports, whatever, it didn't matter. He was calmly referred to as "The Jinx" by his peers. He paused, leaning against a streetlight, to flip out his rollerblades from the bottom of his sneakers. He took off at a much faster clip, feeling the wind against his face, letting his troubles slip off of him, blow away in the wind. He stopped by a vending machine and picked up some kind of breakfast sandwich. He ate on the skate (A/N: I RHYMED! XD) and arrived within a few minutes at his destination. The fabled Tamer Academy of West City. A large image of Baihumon was emblazoned on the front wall. It looked, when he thought about it, like some kind of prison. Looking around, he noticed other kids his age walking inside. He decided to follow them, since they were probably headed to the same spot. Soon, he saw them give their names to a man standing in front of some double doors. He swallowed nervously, and stepped forward. The man glanced at him and smiled slightly.

"No hats inside, son." Tsuyoya flushed and removed his hat, sticking it inside his backpack.

"Gomenasai!" The man laughed slightly.

"Don't worry about it. You probably didn't know. You're here for the entrance exam, right? Name please."

"Kikuchi Tsuyoya, sir." The man smiled again.

"Well, go on inside Tsuyoya, and good luck." Tsuyoya nodded, and stepped inside. He was taken aback by the sheer amount of people inside the room. He gulped again, practically seeing his chances go down the drain. He quietly took a seat near the front.

"Hey, brat! You're in my seat!" Tsuyoya turned his head towards the voice in time to get hoisted from the seat and thrown away from it. He landed roughly, on his back. Coughing once, he sat up slowly, wincing when his back protested. He sighed, used to this kind of treatment, and stood up. Tsuyoya scanned the room for another available seat, and he found one by a group of slightly older girls. He silently took out a manga book, and lost himself in it. Soon, he heard someone pound a gavel, and he reluctantly put his book away. He'd have to wait to find out if the Holy Paladin Zanku beat the evil warlock Quork.

"We thank you for coming here, all Tamer hopefuls. However, starting this year, due to the Cherub Virus, we're going to have to institute a more rigid selection method. One that revolves around whether or not you are _supposed_ to be a Tamer. You will walk up to a Digitama here on the stage, and see if any of them react to you. If they don't then I'm sorry, but you're welcome to try again next year. Those who make any Digitama hatch or make any other reaction will officially be welcomed in as Tamers." The head proctor's explanation did little to lighten the mood in the auditorium, and many kids started grumbling. Tsuyoya swallowed again, nervously, as assistants wheeled out precious Digitamas out onto the stage. Kid after kid went up to the stage when their names were called, and only a precious few waking up a Digimon.

"Kikuchi Tsuyoya!" Tsuyoya stood up quickly and nervously walked up to the stage, almost tripping on the steps.

"Hey, it's the Jinx!" a kid in the audience called out. Tsuyoya winced, and kept walking forward. He went up to each and every Digitama, but not a single one hatched. Heartbroken, he started to trudge off the stage when he saw a small, pale green Digitama sitting away from all of the others. He turned to the head proctor.

"Why isn't that one with all the other ones?" he asked, pointing at the Digitama in question. She shook her head sadly.

"As far as we can tell, there's no activity inside it. We think it's just a stillborn. It'll hatch on its own, sooner or later, and be reborn again." Tsuyoya silently walked up to the small egg, and placed his hand on it.

"You never had a chance either, eh fella?" he asked quietly, stroking the Digitama. Suddenly, a bright light came from the egg, making Tsuyoya fall on his rear in surprise, and the head proctor whirl around. When the light died down, a Leafmon was sitting there, looking up at Tsuyoya.

"I've been waiting a long time to meet you, Tsuyoya." it said in a peaceful, cute little voice.

"NO WAY!" someone from the audience yelled. "HOW DID HE WAKE ONE UP!" Tsuyoya picked up the Leafmon carefully, willing it not to just vanish in front of him.

"You're real… _you're really here!_" he cried, holding the Leafmon close.

"Tsuyoya, you're squishing me!" it squeaked. He let go slightly, still holding him close. The head proctor shook off her shock, and smiled broadly.

'_To make the "dead" Digitama wake up… I see great things coming from this boy.'_ She took a deep breath, and loudly declared,

"Kikuchi Tsuyoya, _pass_." She marked his name on the list, and directed him to a room behind the stage where all the other passing Tamers were waiting. He closed the door behind him with a broad grin on his face. He happily sat down near the door, and set Leafmon in his lap.

"So you're my Digimon, ne?" he asked with a smile. Leafmon nodded, as much as he could, anyway.

"Hai. Boku wa Leafmon, Baby level Digimon. Nice to meet you." Tsuyoya smiled again.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to be a Tamer!"

"That makes two of us, Jinx." Tsuyoya flinched, and turned around slowly.

"Kai? Wh-What are you doing here?" he asked worriedly. Kai was the biggest bully of the neighborhood. He'd been held back a few times, and preferred brawn over brains. He proudly patted the head of his Goblimon.

"What does it look like, I'm a Tamer now, shrimp! So you better back off. Better yet, give me all your Option Cards, and I might leave you alone." He said softly with a deceptive smile on his face. The other Tamers, assuming the two were friends, ceased to watch. Tsuyoya shook his head slowly.

"No way! I've been collecting them for years! I have some really rare ones now!" he said nervously, placing a hand protectively over his card holster. Kai grinned viciously.

"I know. Now be a good boy and cough them up." Tsuyoya took a deep breath.

"_Stop trying to steal my Option Cards!_" he said rather loudly. All the other rookie Tamers looked over immediately. One, a boy with blonde hair, stood and walked over to Kai, pulling him away from the smaller Tamer.

"If he wants you to leave him alone, I suggest you do so." he said in an icy tone of voice. Kai sneered.

"What, and _you're_ gonna make me?" The head proctor cleared her throat from the doorway.

"No, but I will young man. Threaten anyone again, and you'll be out of this institution so fast it'll make your head spin, _without_ your D-Arc OR Digimon. Am I clear?" Kai nodded, furiously.

"Yes, ma'am." he ground out. She smiled, and escorted Tsuyoya to the front of the room with her, sitting him in a desk near hers. She sat on top of her desk and crossed her legs. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses that completely hid her eyes, and her long blonde hair flowed in waves down to her knees.

"I don't believe I've introduced myself. Watashi wa Maeda Ai desu. I lead instruction of the incoming Tamers each year. Now, this is the list of the materials you will need while at this Academy." she said while passing out a sheet of paper. Tsuyoya skimmed it quickly. He already had most of the stuff, and could probably mooch the rest off his sister with a few rarer Option Cards.

"On the other side is the official list of rules. While you are learning at West Academy, you _will_ follow these rules, both on and _off_ of campus, understood?" she said, fixing the almost 70 kids with a glare. All of the kids nodded, not wanting to anger the scary lady. She smiled, and walked over to the board.

"Good. Now, in two weeks, on the first of the month, we'll be having a tournament to determine your class rankings. Participation is _mandatory_. Feel free to make as much use as you wish of the training machines in the library until then, increasing your Digimon's strengths as much as you see fit." She reached under the desk, and took a large, locked steel box from under it. Opening it, she revealed basic card readers. Her smile suddenly turned scary.

"All of you passed the _first_ test with flying colors. Now, you have to make one of these common Option Cards turn your card reader into a D-Arc. If you're meant to be a Tamer, then this will happen no problem. Please scan your card when I call your name." All of the kids groaned, and Tsuyoya nervously bit his lip. She passed everyone a card reader and a common, everyday Option Card. By the time Tsuyoya's name rolled around, less than half of the students were left. Sadly, Kai was in those remaining, proudly touting his new black D-Arc with green trim. Tsuyoya jumped when his name was called.

"Daijoubu. Tsuyoya can do it no problem." Leafmon softly cheered him on. He nodded, closed his eyes, and slashed his card.

"_Card Slash."_ He murmured under his breath, just wanting to say it once. Kai cursed loudly from across the room, making Tsuyoya look down at his shiny new green D-Arc with white trim. His heart felt like it would explode inside his chest with joy. It took all of his self-control not to jump up and do a victory jig, mooning Kai in the process. He settled for a loud whoop of victory, thrusting his hands into the air. Once class wound down, after a further explanation of the workings of the Academy, Tsuyoya started to walk home when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Great job today, Tsuyoya-kun." He looked up surprised.

"Maeda-sensei! You scared me! Can I help you with something?" he asked nervously, holding Leafmon proudly in his arms. She smiled down at him and nodded.

"Actually, I wanted to know if it would be alright if I talked with your family about today's events later tonight. I have to go run some errands, but can I come over for dinner?" Tsuyoya nodded, smiling slightly.

"Kaa-chan's always telling me to invite people to dinner, so I don't think it would be a problem, Maeda-sensei." She smiled down at him again.

"Please, just call me Ai. No need to be so formal outside of the classroom." Walking off, she waved.

"See you around seven!"

"Un!" He called. Ai walked around the corner and stepped into an alley, pulling out her cell phone. She called a number, and held it up to her ear.

"**_Yes, Ai?"_** a deep, regal voice asked from the other end of the line.

"Sir, I think I've found one. A boy like we've been looking for!" The other voice inhaled sharply.

"**_Ai, this is a direct order. Take him under your wings, try and keep him from harm. We need Tamers like him."_** Ai nodded slowly. **_"I'm trusting you, Ai. Please don't let me down."_**

"I won't sir, you can count on me." She said before the connection was severed. She sighed heavily. She had quite the task ahead of her. From what she could tell earlier, his heart was in chaos. She'd have to figure out why that was.

* * *

"Ai-san seems really nice." Leafmon commented from Tsuyoya's arms. He nodded, and skated home on cloud nine. He stopped at the door of his house, taking off his shoes.

"Tadaima!" he called enthusiastically. Tenshi stuck her head into the room quickly.

"How badly did you fail, Tsu-WHATAREYOUHOLDING!" her intended jibe ended in a shriek of disbelief. He grinned triumphantly, holding out his D-Arc.

"I told you I could do it! Meet Leafmon, my partner!" he said, holding him out. Leafmon did his little bow thing again. His mother walked around his stunned and speechless sister and gave him a hug.

"Oooh, I don't believe it! My little son is a Tamer! Just like your sister!" Tsuyoya's face darkened.

"Yeah. Just like her." He spat the words before squirming out of the hug and turning towards the stairs.

"Tsuyoya? Is something wrong?" his mother asked, as clueless as ever.

"No, okaa-san, everything's fine. My teacher is coming over for dinner to discuss my test results." He stomped up to his room and slammed the door, flopping onto his bed on his back. Leafmon hopped next to his head.

"What's wrong, Tsuyoya? You seem really mad." Tsuyoya sighed heavily.

"Oh, it's nothing. I should be used to it by now. I'm just sick and tired of always being in Tenshi's shadow. She's always the perfect daughter, never doing anything wrong. I'm the screw-up, a child that wasn't supposed to live past a month, who can never do anything right, not even _die_." He rolled away from Leafmon and curled into a ball. The little mon's eyes started to shine with tears.

"Tsu…" he said sadly.

"I shouldn't have been born. Mom got pregnant with someone else besides Dad, and I was the result. The only reason she didn't get an abortion was because I was supposed to die pretty soon after birth. Both of my parents were furious." He choked back a sob.

"I'm a mistake. Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if I should just kill myself and get it over with. I'm all alone, no friends, my family doesn't love me. Mom was only happy just now because I'd actually done something right." Leafmon hopped around and looked Tsuyoya in the eyes before slapping him repeatedly with his leaf.

"Tsuyoya no baka!" she screamed in his squeaky little voice. "I waited so long for you! And now you wanna _kill yourself!_" Tsuyoya stared in shock at the small green Digimon who was trying its best to hurt him.

"Leafmon…" he said stunned.

"You're not alone you baka! _I'M_ your friend! And friends are always there for each other!" he said, tiny tears leaking out of his little black eyes. Tsuyoya grabbed him and hugged him close.

"Leafmon… Arigato, buddy." he said, sitting up, still hugging the small Digimon. Leafmon smiled up at him, or appeared to anyway.

"Feel better?" he asked. Tsuyoya nodded. Leafmon started to glow as the screen of Tsuyoya's D-Arc shined with a white light.

"Leafmon shinka… Minomon!" The light faded, and partner and Digimon stared at one another for a moment in silence.

"YATTAAA! YOU EVOLVED!" Tsuyoya shouted, joyously tossing Minomon up into the air and catching him again. Minomon laughed loudly, clapping his small arms.

"I did! I really did!"

* * *

Tsuyoya slid down the banister as the doorbell rang, Minomon's antenna-thing wrapped around his upper arm. He bounced off the lower step and landed in front of the door, opening it.

"Konban wa, Ai-sensei!" he chimed cheerfully. She smiled at him, and walked inside as he held the door open for her.

"Leafmon evolved already?" she asked, raising a delicate eyebrow. Tsuyoya nodded with a huge grin on his face. Soon his mother came in and beckoned her into the dining room. His father, who had come home while Tsuyoya had shut himself in his room, walked over and introduced himself. Once dinner got started, Tenshi couldn't stand it anymore.

"So Maeda-san, just how were little Tsutsu-chan's test scores?" she asked, reaching across the table and pinching his cheeks. Ai laughed slightly, then smiled, explaining the new testing system.

"So how long did it take him to find a Digitama that would respond to him?" his mother asked.

"Actually, Tsuyoya didn't make any of our eggs react." His family all chorused expressions of disbelief, while the subject of their conversation firmly wished he was back up in his room, his face reddening.

"Tsuyoya almost failed, but he somehow made a stillborn egg hatch into his Leafmon. Excuse me, Minomon now." Minomon nodded, his eyes crinkling in a smile. Tenshi shook her head.

"So how did he do on the second exam?" Ai smiled again.

"His card reader immediately morphed into a D-Arc as soon as he started to slash his card through. He didn't even have half an inch of the card inside." Tenshi's jaw hit the ground.

"Yes, overall, I'd have to say Tsuyoya-kun's score is among the top five of the Academy. I think that we can expect great things from him." Ai said with a bright smile, patting his shoulder approvingly. Tsuyoya blushed under the praise, completely unused to that sort of treatment.

* * *

TWO WEEKS LATER…

* * *

Tsuyoya gulped nervously as he waited outside the gymnasium. His fights up till now had been pretty easy. Wormmon's training had been paying off. Not that Tsuyoya's collection of rare Option Cards hurt any. But now he was going up against Kai and his Goblimon, who could easily evolve into the Adult-level Ogremon. Wormmon looked up at his partner from the floor.

"We'll do fine, Tsu. Stop worrying so much, it'll give you wrinkles." he said with a grin. Tsuyoya grinned nervously, taking a deep breath before walking into the gym.

"**AAAAND, NOW, we have our final match! Both of these rookies have blazed their way through the competition! IIIIIN THIS CORNER! We have the terribly powerful Goblimon, and his Tamer Kai, who have steamrolled any opposition!"** the announcer roared as Kai raised both fists over his head, making the crowd go wild. Goblimon posed his muscles, trying to impress the female Digimon in the audience.

"**AAAAAAAND IN THIS CORNER! The other rookie wonders! We have the insect terror, Wormmon! With his Tamer Tsuyoya's mighty impressive collection of Option Cards, they have also made mincemeat of their opponents!"** Wormmon looked up at Tsuyoya.

"Why did he call me a terror?" Tsuyoya shrugged as only a few people in the audience, not including his sister, clapped for him.

"It's an announcer thing. He's supposed to get the crowd hyped." Goblimon stepped into the arena, and Wormmon wriggled into his starting area.

"Ready? BEGIN!" the judge called out.

"Gobli Strike!" Goblimon called out, throwing a fireball at Wormmon, who dodged using a web. Kai grinned fiercely.

"Let's end this, Goblimon! Time to evolve!" Goblimon nodded.

"Goblimon shinka… Ogremon!" the huge perfect-level swung its club at Tsuyoya and Wormmon. Tsuyoya's eyes widened as time seemed to slow down. He felt his hand automatically go to his belt, whip out an Option Card, and bring it to his D-Arc.

"_CARD SLASH! EVOLUTION ACTIVATE!"_ he heard himself shout. The spectators drew in a collective breath while Ai just smiled victoriously. Data formed a cocoon around Wormmon.

"Wormmon, shinka… Stingmon!" The cocoon exploded into little bits as the wasp warrior blocked Ogremon's club with one arm, with Tsuyoya's arm mimicking the motion.

"That trick won't work now!" Tsuyoya and Stingmon called in unison. "Why don't you try on my attack for size?" Stingmon pulled his arm back, Tsuyoya once again mirroring the motion. The faculty all sat up straight in their chairs, eyes wide.

"Can he…?" one of them trailed off. Ai smiled again.

"Yes. This boy is capable of Total Synch. Right now, his mind and Stingmon's mind are one and the same, dramatically increasing Stingmon's power." she declared. She was also very worried, however. The risks of Total Synch were also extreme. While the pair was Synched, the Tamer would take any damage that the partner Digimon took. She prayed that Tsuyoya ended this quickly, before he was hurt. He didn't know how to use Full Synch completely yet, so he needed to be alright. The energy turbines on Stingmon's gauntlet went to work, spinning and making a whining noise. Soon a cone of pink energy shot out from the hole on the back of the gauntlet. Stingmon's arm shot forward, Tsuyoya following through on the move.

"SPIKING STRIKE!" the both roared. The cone pierced Ogremon's forehead, and in an explosion of data, Goblimon was laying face first on the ground. Stingmon and Tsuyoya brought their arm down. Suddenly, Tsuyoya slumped down to the ground, and Stingmon devolved back to an unconscious Wormmon. Ai raced down there as the nurse rushed out. She had finally found a boy who could do Total Synch, and she wasn't going to let this go to waste. She pulled out her cell phone later and called the mysterious number again, once she was alone in her car.

"**_What is it Ai?"_** Ai calmed her breathing before shouting for joy.

"He _is_ the one you wanted, sir! He just went into Total Synch with his Stingmon! They easily defeated the opponent!" The voice on the other end of the machine gave a relieved sigh.

"**_Good, good. Keep watching over him, Ai. I have a sinking feeling that sometime down the road he might be a target of our opponent."_** Ai sucked in a breath.

"You don't mean…"

"**_Cherubimon. Yes, I do. Keep watching him, Ai."_** She nodded, and nervously bit her lip.

"I will, Azulongmon-sama." She closed the connection and leaned back in her seat. Tsuyoya was very unique, that much she knew. She had overheard his story with Leafmon a few weeks back. She didn't know why, but she was feeling drawn to him, she felt an unprecedented urge to protect him. She'd just have to see what the future brought for him.

* * *

TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER…

* * *

Tsuyoya ran from his house, a still sleepy Wormmon in his arms. He didn't want to be late for his mission briefing. Over the last few years, he'd shot up through the ranks of the school, and had graduated a year early. He had gone into the Digital World Police Force, an elite group of Tamers who protected the real world from Wild Ones that realize. His home life hadn't gotten much better. In fact, it had gotten much worse when Tsuyoya easily beat his sister's Birdramon with Stingmon a year back. He hadn't even gone into Total Synch, so he was surprised when Stingmon beat her in only three hits. He screeched to a halt outside the door of his department's office, and walked inside, gasping for breath. His partner just laughed at the rookie's antics.

"You oversleep again, Tsuyoya?" Urawa Yuuto asked from his desk. He'd been assigned to Yuuto's supervision when he had first entered the DWPF, but now he was his partner. Yuuto's Digimon, a Veemon, was busy beating the stuffing out of a punching bag in the corner of their office.

"No, but Wormmon didn't want to wake up..." he trailed off as he noticed that his Digimon was still sleeping. He shook him rapidly, making Wormmon look around wildly.

"Whowhatwhenwherewhy?" he blurted. Tsuyoya raised an eyebrow.

"Me, you were still asleep, just now, we're at work, and because you overslept." he calmly answered, making Yuuto roar with laughter.

"_If_ you two are finished goofing off…" their chief said lazily from the doorway, making both of the Tamers jump.

"SIR!" they both saluted, Tsuyoya almost dropping Wormmon. The chief just shook his head, muttering something about foolish kids and ten more years until retirement. He handed them a folder, and lit a cigarette.

"That's your assignment. There's been rumor of a Vamdemon up in the northern part of Tokyo. You two are to find him and take him down." Tsuyoya swallowed nervously. A _Vamdemon_! Oh, great. Just what he needed.

"When do we leave, sir?" Yuuto asked. The chief grunted.

"Tomorrow morning. Be at the northbound train station at seven. Odds are it's nothing but a rumor, so it'll probably be an easy case. But be prepared for the worst, just in case." Both of the Tamers nodded, and left the building. Tsuyoya bit his lip, and started to walk without thinking about his destination. He looked up after a bit, and wasn't surprised when he found himself where he always went when he was feeling nervous. He was standing outside of Ai's apartment. He smiled, and knocked at the door. After a moment, it opened to reveal Ai herself, who smiled broadly at him.

"Tsuyoya-kun, I didn't know you'd be coming over!" He laughed and shrugged.

"Me either. You got a minute?" She nodded, and led him inside her cozy apartment.

"I was making some tea, you want some?" she asked from the kitchenette. He nodded.

"We'll both take some, Ai-san." Wormmon politely said. Soon, Tsuyoya was sipping at the soothing liquid, letting it run down his throat.

"So what's on your mind, Tsu?" she asked him, using her name for him. He sighed heavily, and leaned back on the couch.

"My new assignment. There's rumors of a Vamdemon up in northern Tokyo, and we're supposed to investigate…" he trailed off when he noticed her hand shaking.

"A _Vamdemon_? They're sending a couple of fairly fresh Tamers like you out there to tackle a menace like _that_?" Tsuyoya was a little taken aback. Ai had never been mad like _this_ before, at least not that he had seen in the two plus years she had been his surrogate mother. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, Wormmon can evolve to Stingmon, and Yuuto's Veemon can go to ExVeemon, so we might have a decent chance if there is one up there… It's just a rumor after all..." Tsuyoya's phone chirped at him, and he answered it.

"What's wrong, Yuuto-sempai?"

"Tsuyoya! You've gotta help! Something's wrong with Veemon, he's attacking everything in sight! Can you have Stingmon help restrain him?" Tsuyoya stood up quickly.

"We'll be right there, Yuuto-sempai!" he said before hanging up. He grabbed Wormmon and ran for the door.

"Sorry Ai-san, I gotta go! Something's wrong with Yuuto-sempai's Digimon!" he ran out the door, and Ai's brow furrowed. Soon after the boy had left, she quickly walked to the door and left as well.

* * *

Stingmon flew down the street at the rampaging ExVeemon and tackled him, pinning him to the ground.

"ExVeemon, what's wrong with you?" His only answer was an enraged, feral scream as he was hurled across the street and into a building. Tsuyoya grabbed Yuuto's arm.

"How long has he been like this?" he asked frantically. Yuuto pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Well, he's been a little antisocial ever since he got injured on that last mission, but… You don't think it… could be the Cherub Virus?" he asked with a note of panic in his voice. Tsuyoya shrugged.

"We can't rule that out, but let's see if Stingmon can calm him down." Stingmon, at the present moment, was having no such luck. He dodged a punch, then a tail swipe, and took to the air.

"Come to your senses! I don't want to have to hurt you!" he cried. ExVeemon roared, his eyes a bloody shade of red. They traveled to a little girl, crying near the edge of the impromptu battlefield. Stingmon tensed, ready to swoop down and interfere. Faster than most eyes could see, the enraged dragon Digimon had grabbed the girl in one of his large, strong hands, and started to squeeze. She cried out in pain. Stingmon swooped down and was knocked aside, crashing into a building.

"NO! Snap out of it, buddy!" Yuuto screamed from the ground. Tsuyoya's eyes widened in horror as ExVeemon casually smashed his partner into the pavement with his foot. The rogue Digimon roared with mirth as it wiped the remains of his former friend on the street. Tsuyoya just stood there, dumbfounded, as tears rolled out of his eyes. Yuuto had been like an older brother to him. Now he was just a smear on the ground. Suddenly, he looked up at the dragon Digimon, his eyes blazing with anger.

"STINGMOOON! YOU ASKED FOR IT BUDDY! **_TOTAL SYNCH ACTIVATE!_**" he screamed. Stingmon glowed a pale white, and stood up. Both of the turbines on each glove sprung to life as the wasp Digimon charged ExVeemon.

"THIS IS FOR YUUTO!" both Tamer and partner screamed. _"SPIKING STRIKE!"_ The spikes of energy hit their target, piercing the raging Digimon's chest. ExVeemon started to fade to data sparkles as the red in his eyes vanished.

"Arigato, Tsuyoya-san… You stopped me when I couldn't stop myself…" Tsuyoya just cried as he looked up at the Digimon of his fallen partner and big brother figure.

"Don't thank me… I… I couldn't do anything right again!" he screamed. ExVeemon shook his head.

"I have a favor to ask, Tsuyoya-san. I want Stingmon to load my data."

"WHAT!" Stingmon and his partner screamed. ExVeemon looked down.

"I killed my partner. I don't deserve to be reborn. Please, do this one thing for me." Tears rolled down Tsuyoya's cheeks.

"… Do it, Stingmon." Stingmon whirled around.

"But Tsu!" Tsuyoya shook his head.

"It's what Yuuto would have wanted, right…?" he muttered sadly. Stingmon nodded slowly, and faced his old partner.

"Bye, old friend." he said as he started to pull all the data inside of his body. ExVeemon smiled tiredly.

"I knew I could count on you guys. Thanks… And I'll always be fighting with you, and so will Yuuto." Stingmon finished loading the data, and devolved all the way to Leafmon, crumpling to the ground. Tsuyoya scooped him up, crying even harder, his body shaking with racking sobs. He looked up when he heard footsteps, and saw his sister's furious face.

"T-Ten-" He was cut off by a resounding slap. He just sat there stunned with a red handprint on his face.

"HOW COULD YOU! You had Stingmon kill Yuuto and then load ExVeemon! Tsuyoya you _bastard!_" Tsuyoya frantically backed up against a wall.

"I didn't kill him! ExVeemon did! He was on a rampage!" he screamed frantically. Tenshi's face darkened again.

"Yeah right! Your excuse needs work! We all saw the whole thing!" she yelled as she jabbed over her shoulder with her thumb at the rest of the DWPF. They all stared at him with disbelief and hate in their eyes. Tsuyoya shook his head frantically.

"I didn't do it! I swear I didn't!" he screamed at the advancing crowd.

"Should we hold him in a cell until the trial?" one of them asked.

"Who says he gets a trial, the filthy murderer?" another of his co-workers screamed.

"That's enough!" Ai shouted, stepping between the crowd and the frantic boy. The crowd was enraged.

"MAEDA? You're siding with him?" She nodded clearly.

"Of course. I saw what happened. What _really_ happened, not what you _want_ to have happened." The crowd murmured, and some of them looked at the ground. She turned to Tsuyoya and offered her hand.

"I believe you, Tsu. Come with me, and you'll be safe." He nodded, the fear in his eyes diminishing somewhat. She quickly ushered him into her car and sped off, the crowd screaming their obvious frustration.

"She's trying to take him out of here! She'll probably stop by my house, come on!" Tenshi screamed. She had had a crush on Yuuto for years, and now he was gone, and it was all Tsuyoya's fault.

* * *

Ai brought the car to a screeching halt outside of Tsuyoya's house.

"Your mother's gone shopping. Come on, we're going to pack you a bag of your things and get out of here." She said, walking up to the door and kicking it in. Tsuyoya gaped. He didn't know she could do stuff like that! He quickly ran inside as she called his name. He handed her Leafmon and ran up to his room. He pulled a suitcase from under his bed and stuffed some clothes in it. He scanned the room, and dumped the clothes on the floor, cramming them in a backpack instead. He put all his manga inside the suitcase, and threw his piggy bank with all his savings in as well. He put his diary inside too, and his safe box full of Option Cards. He put his laptop on top, and zipped it up. He saw a picture of his "family" sitting on his dresser. In a fit of rage, he grabbed it and smashed it against the ground and took out the picture. He grabbed a sharpie and wrote a message on the picture, reading it aloud as he wrote it.

"_I trusted all of you, and you all turned on me at the first chance! I HATE YOU ALL! I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY NOW THAT I'M GONE! To my "loving family:" Mom: You can rest easy now, the mistake is leaving. Dad: I hate you, you cold heartless bastard! I hope mom leaves you! Tenshi: YOU, I hate with all of my heart. All I wanted was for you to accept me, give me a smile or a kind word, and now you've accused me of murder just because you can't accept the death of your stupid crush! Yuuto was like my big brother! How could you think I would kill him! I'd rather kill myself! To my fellow Tamers and the rest of this city: I hate all of you, and you better damn well feel better now that I'm leaving. If I knew I was gonna be accused of going berserk, I would have _really_ done it!"_ Tsuyoya stomped down the stairs with his luggage and slammed the photo on the dining room table. Ai walked over to him and hugged him.

"It'll all be alright, Tsu. Just wait and see." He sniffled pitifully, and clung to her. He tensed and hugged her tighter when he heard the mob approaching the house. She walked outside, carrying the suitcase under one arm, and set it in the yard. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"It'll be a relief to be back in my real body again." she said. Tsuyoya stood close to her holding a trembling Leafmon.

"Real body?" She just smiled at him as a cocoon of data formed around her. The crowd halted their advance and started to murmur. The cocoon split apart into fragments as Ai the Angewomon spread her eight wings. She picked Tsuyoya up in one arm, and picked up the suitcase with her other. She glared down at the crowd through her helmet.

"I have to say what I've seen today has made me loose faith in humanity. I'm taking this boy to a place where he won't be ignored and mistreated." Ai flew up higher into the sky.

"_Digital Gate Open!"_ she cried, and a swirling vortex appeared in front of her. Tsuyoya gripped her in fear as she flew into it. Neither Maeda Ai nor Kikuchi Tsuyoya were ever seen in the Western Quadrant again.

* * *

Tsuyoya groaned and sat up. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up at Ai.

'_That's right, Ai's an Angewomon…'_ he thought. A sudden wave of panic hit him as he looked wildly around the room.

"Where's Leafmon?"

"I-I'm right here, Tsu…" Wormmon timidly said. Tsuyoya spun around and gasped. Wormmon was… different. His normal green was a bright blue, and his pink talons, forehead symbol, and purple mouth-pinchers were bright yellow.

"It looks like loading ExVeemon's data affected Wormmon's." Ai commented with a hint of sadness in her voice. Tsuyoya turned and looked up at her.

"Ai-san, where are we? And why are you an Angewomon?" Ai smiled sadly at him.

"I've always been one, Tsu. Even before the entrance exam all those years ago. I was assigned by my superior to watch over you… I failed miserably." She hung her head as tears leaked from under her helmet. Tsuyoya climbed out of his bed and sat in her lap, hugging her.

"No you didn't. You're more of a mother to me than my real one. You were always there for me, and you helped me escape." Ai enveloped him in a crushing hug without warning, holding him close. Wormmon squirmed in between them, and then smiled happily. Ai let him out of the hug eventually, and stood up. She was much taller than him now, by at least four feet.

"Did you mean that, Tsu? About me being your mother?" she asked as she led him down a hallway, Wormmon in his arms. Tsuyoya nodded.

"Yeah, I did. I wish you _were_ my mom…"

"**_That can be arranged, Tsuyoya-kun."_** a deep, regal voice called to him from the room at the end of the hallway. Tsuyoya walked through and gasped. Hovering in the air above him, his four eyes glowing softly, was the Sovereign of the Eastern Quadrant, Azulongmon. Tsuyoya immediately bowed low, his head almost touching the ground. Azulongmon chuckled.

"**_No need to be so formal, Tsuyoya-kun. After all, I'm Ai's employer."_** Tsuyoya nodded nervously, afraid of doing something foolish in front of the enormous dragon Digimon.

"Sir? What did you mean when you said that it could be arranged for Tsu to be my son?" Ai asked with a note of hope in her voice. Azulongmon sighed, sending a plume of blue smoke from his mouth.

"**_We have reason to believe that Cherubimon has moved to the Southern Quadrant. If both of you agree to it, you would be sent there posing as a mother and her son. I need someone to investigate this… Would you both be willing to accept a formal adoption-"_**

"YES!" both Ai and Tsuyoya screamed, interrupting the Sovereign. Azulongmon laughed loudly as both of them blushed from embarrassment.

"**_Then it's settled. You are now Maeda Ai and her son, Maeda Tsuyoya."_** Tsuyoya took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Azulongmon-sama? Would it be possible to change my first name? If I'm starting a new life, I don't want the same name as the failure I was back home." he said, his voice only wavering slightly. Ai looked at him curiously, but Azulongmon nodded.

"**_Makes sense, I suppose. What did you have in mind, Tsuyoya?"_** Tsuyoya thought for a second, then smiled.

"Boku wa Maeda Tsubasa desu." he said. Ai smiled and shook her head, ruffling his hair. Wormmon crawled forward.

"Um, excuse me, Azulongmon-sama? What do we do about me? I'm not a normal Wormmon anymore…" Azulongmon sighed again.

"**_How about… Oh, I don't know, VeeWormmon? Since you loaded Veemon's data?"_** Wormmon and Tsubasa nodded.

"Makes sense." Tsubasa said. VeeWormmon nodded. Ai smiled.

"Shall we get ready to go, musuko?" Tsubasa nodded, smiling happily for once. VeeWormmon crawled up his leg and rested atop Tsubasa's head. Together, the three of them walked into the swirling Digital Gate and vanished. Azulongmon sighed again. He wondered if he was doing the right thing by sending Tsubasa. His mental state was not the best, having just had his older brother figure killed by his Digimon right in front of his eyes, having to have Stingmon load ExVeemon's data, and having his entire home town turn against him. The redeeming factor was Ai, however, and how he immediately latched onto the Angewomon as his new mother.

"**_Godspeed, Maeda Tsubasa, and may the Digital World itself shine upon you…"_** he murmured.

* * *

Tsubasa looked up at their new house.

"A boarding house?" he asked. Ai, once again in her human guise, nodded.

"Nobody's living there, so we'll have the place to ourselves. Well, let's see how it looks inside, huh?" Tsubasa nodded, and followed her inside. He looked around. It looked fairly sparce, but homey. He looked in all the rooms, and found one he liked. It had black wallpaper and faded gold carpeting. He heaved his suitcase onto the bed and dropped his backpack next to it. Once he had cleaned the room up some, he put everything away, already feeling completely at home. VeeWormmon crawled in and looked around.

"I think I like the colors." he said, crawling up a wall and landing on the bed. Tsubasa smiled at him.

"You can make yourself a web here, kaa-chan won't mind." VeeWormmon jumped happily and quickly spun himself a web in the corner, near the ceiling. He crawled up to it and nestled in, sticking his head back out.

"This is much better than the old laundry basket." he said happily, worming back out and over to Tsubasa. Tsubasa picked him up and walked back downstairs. Ai was busy cleaning the downstairs, so Tsubasa pitched in while Wormmon pulled down the cobwebs in the corners near the ceiling. Once they were done, they both flopped onto the couch.

"Kaa-chan? Why do you hide your eyes?" Tsubasa asked. Ai turned to him.

"I really don't know. I've just always done it. Nobody's ever seen them, besides Azulongmon-sama." Tsubasa looked up at her curiously.

"Could I see them?" he asked hesitantly. She thought for a moment, then smiled.

"I don't see why not, you're my son now." She took off her sunglasses and opened her eyes. Tsubasa gasped. Her eyes were a crystal clear, bright blue that perfectly suited her hair.

"They're gorgeous, kaa-chan!" She blushed slightly, and looked away.

"I don't really think they're anything special… All Angewomons' eyes look like this…" she insisted. Tsubasa smiled, and leaned against her shoulder.

"Yeah, but I bet yours are the best." She smiled broadly, and hugged her son closely. Tsubasa's stomach picked that moment to growl loudly, making him sweatdrop. Ai laughed, and slipped her sunglasses back on.

"I'll go do some grocery shopping, Tsu. Why don't you look around town? Azulongmon-sama enrolled you at the local middle school. You're supposed to be an exchange student from America, okay?" Tsubasa nodded, and slipped his favorite hat on again.

"I'll stay here, I'm pretty sleepy." VeeWormmon said before crawling back upstairs. Tsubasa waved at his new mom before walking out the door. A smile forced its way on to Tsubasa's face at the way that sounded. A new mom, a new home, a new life. The events of his previous life still weighed heavily on him, however, reminding him that he had paid a heavy price for it all. He would have to be careful here, he didn't think his wings could take being broken a second time.

* * *

Well, here it is. Don't expect all chapters to be this long, though. This was the prologue, so I had to do all of the setup. Well, please be kind, and let me know what you think.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Digimon. I'd be fricking rich if I did. I do own Tsubasa, VeeWormmon, and Ai, however.


End file.
